India-Canada Diplomatic Row LIVE: Punjab Congress Chief Calls Row Over Singer Shubh's Show 'Propaganda'
Follow this space for the LIVE updates around the India-Canada diplomatic row that started after Justin Trudeau said they had found "links" of "Indian agents" in the murder of a Khalistani separatist.
The diplomatic row between India and Canada will not have a material impact on the country's exports, according to apex engineering body EEPC, reported PTI. "We do not believe that the stand-off with Canada will have a material impact on our exports and trade, given our long-standing relationship. We expect the current stand-off to be temporary and to be resolved," EEPC (Engineering Export Promotion Council of India) Chairman Arun Kumar Garodia told the news agency.
Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has opposed labelling of Canadian singer Shubh as 'anti-nationals'.
"While we at @INCPunjab strongly oppose the idea of Khalistan & have actively fought our battles against anti national forces, I strongly oppose labelling of our youngsters like @Shubhworldwide, who speak for Punjab as anti nationals. We Punjabis don’t need to give any proofs about our nationalism. This propaganda being pushed by certain forces against Punjabis to undermine us is highly condemnable. Malicious attempts to tarnish our youngsters must be repulsed. Jai Hind! Jai Punjab! #Shubh," he said in a post on X.
Pierre Poilievre, the Opposition Conservative Party leader is the preferred choice as Prime Minister by 40 per cent of Canadian citizens, as incumbent Justin Trudeau lags behind, reported ANI citing a new Ipsos poll done for Canada-based news platform Global News.
There is no place in Canada for hate, says Canadian govt amid online video threats to Hindus.
PHDCCI chief economist SP Sharma on India-Canada diplomatic row: "I would like to mention they (India and Canada) have a lot of plans to progress in economic and business trajectory. They have a promising future. So, in the coming times, I believe that bilateral relations for businesses and economic growth will continue."
On the India-Canada relationship, NSA Jake Sullivan says, "As soon as we heard from the Canadian PM publically about the allegation, we went out publically ourselves and expressed our deep concerns about them, our support for the law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable. We are in constant contact with our Canadian counterparts, we are consulting with them closely, we support the efforts that they are undertaking in this investigation and we have also been in touch with the Indian govt as well..."
"I have seen in the press, some efforts to try to drive a wedge between the United States and Canada on this issue. I firmly reject the idea that there is a wedge between the US and Canada. We have deep concerns about the allegations and we would like to see this investigation carried forward and the perpetrators held to account. That is what the United States has stood for, from the moment this emerged in public and we will continue to stand for that until this fully plays its way out," he added.
India-Canada Diplomatic Row: On whether US President Joe Biden intends to speak to PM Modi on the Canada-India issue, NSA Jake Sullivan says, "I am not going to get into the private diplomatic conversations that have either already happened or going to happen on this topic. We have been and will be in contact with Indians at high levels on this issue. It is a matter of concern for us. It is something we take seriously. It is something we will keep working on..."
A Canadian official has said allegations of India's involvement in Sikh's killing are based on human and surveillance intelligence, reports AP
"I think the government should look into the issue with full sensitivity and should not make wrong decisions in a hurry. The government must consider the interests of Indians living in Canada," says Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "We are now seeing a new phenomenon where immigrants to Canada have become Canadian citizens but are not doing anything for Canadian politics. They're focusing on how to actually damage their country of origin. This is a very dangerous development. Canada really has to examine its own approach to these people. It's all very well to claim outrage that a citizen has been killed in Canada. In any case, there is, as far as I'm aware, no evidence that any Indian government body had anything to do with it because we know that, unfortunately, this fringe terrorist group has a number of factions. There could be any other explanation for what happened. In any case, whatever's happening, why their own citizens are allowed with impunity to behave in this manner, threatening the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and good, interests of a friendly country. That's something only the Canadians can answer."
Canadian diplomatic presence in India is higher than that of India in Canada; there should be parity in strength, says Bagchi. "We have informed the Canadian government that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in our mutual diplomatic presence. Their number here (in India) are very much higher than ours in Canada. The details of this are being worked out but I assume there will be a reduction," he said.
"We take our obligations very seriously. We will be certainly providing all security to foreign diplomats in India. We also expect Canadian authorities to show similar sensitivity to our diplomats in Canada": MEA Spox on the question of reports of threats to Canadian diplomats in India.
Indian students will not be affected by our policies. If they face any problem, they can contact our consulates there. They will be helped," Bagchi said.
"The issue is not about travelling to India. Those with valid visas can still travel to India. The issue is the incitement of violence and the inaction of the Canadian government and the creation of an environment that disrupts the working of our High Commission and consulates is what prompted us to stop the issuance of visas," says Arindam Bagchi.
There are security threats to our diplomatic staff there. We have stopped giving visas to Canadians due to inaction by the Canadian government. We will review it regularly, says Arindam Bagchi.
"The larger issue with Canada is that of terrorism and safe havens have been provided [to terrorists]... Terrorism has been funded by our western neighbour," he says.
Allegations against India are primarily politically driven, says MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. "So far, we have not received any specific information on the allegations. India has regularly sent specific information on activities on Canadian soil, but no action has been taken on the same," he says.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi begins briefing on India-Canada diplomatic row.
Akali Dal President and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal says, "Many students from India studying in Canada are worried that if their Visa is denied what will happen. I have received many calls from the students about what will happen to their studies in Canada. This panic is increasing and there will be a massive reaction to this."
In a disclosure to the NSE and the BSE under SEBI rules, Visa facilitator BLS has said that the impact of the suspension of visa services is negligible on the company's finances. "BLS International Services Limited has informed the Exchange regarding 'Intimation under Regulation 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015'.Negligible financial impact following the latest announcement in Canada New Delhi, September 21, 2023, Due to operation reasons, with immediate effect i.e. 21 September 2023, Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended till further notice. The impact of this move is negligible on our financials as the Canadian visa issuance business contributes less than 2% to BLS International's total annual revenue. You are requested to take the same on your records," the firm's statement read.
According to the company's website, BLS International Canada Services Inc is a "partner of the High Commission of India in Ottawa and the Consulate General(s) of India in Toronto and Vancouver (Canada) for managing the administrative and non-judgmental tasks of processing visa, passport, PIO, OCI and consular applications".
"I am very surprised and disappointed by the Canadian Prime Minister [Justin Trudeau] making a public allegation of this nature. If they had evidence, they should have prosecuted the killers in a court of law," Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says.
Speaking on India's advisory for Indians in Canada, Union Minister of State Subhash Sarkar said, "We are concerned about the safety of every citizen of the country at all times. Even at the time of the Ukraine war, we took steps to protect our people. Our government protects every citizen of the country all over the world."
BJP leader Tejinder Pall Singh Bagga has advised tourists to avoid visiting Canada as it has become "unsafe". "Canada is becoming the most unsafe country in the world. Anyone can come and kill anyone. Your son, daughter, your brother, sister, father and mother's lives are more important than visiting Canada. World tourists should avoid going to Canada till the situation becomes normal in Canada," he posted on X.
The High Commission of Canada in India has said all their missions in India are open and operational and continue to serve clients, but will adjust its staff presence in India. "In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats. With some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms, Global Affairs Canada is assessing its staff complement in India. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India. In the context of respect for obligations under the Vienna conventions, we expect India to provide for the security of our accredited diplomats and consular officers in India, just as we are for theirs here," the Canadian Embassy was quoted by news agency ANI. Cameron MacKay is the High Commission of Canada in India.
The Ministry of External Affairs will brief mediapersons at 4 PM today on the India-Canada Diplomatic issue.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal has said that a sense of panic has ensued in Punjab over the India-Canada diplomatic row. "A lot of Punjabis have settled down in Canada... So, the governments of India and Canada must find a solution to this issue,"
Indo-Canadian lawmaker Chandra Arya from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party has expressed dismay at the “glorification of terrorism” and hate crime targeting Hindus in this country in the name of “freedom of expression”. "I urge Hindu-Canadians to stay calm but vigilant. Please report any incident of Hinduphobia to your local law enforcement agencies," Chandra Arya posted on X.
The Government of India has reportedly suspended visa services for Canadians, apparently due to "operational reasons". The development comes a day after it issued an advisory for Indians living in Canada, urging them to exercise "extreme caution" amid the escalating diplomatic row between the two countries.
A notification from the official website of the 'India Visa Application Center Canada' read: "Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Please keep checking BLS website for further updates."
Background
The diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist leader is getting murkier. India Wednesday advised all its citizens living in Canada, and also those planning to travel to that country, to exercise "utmost caution" in the wake of the growing "anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes" there. The strongly-worded advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) cited threats targeting diplomats and sections of the Indian community that "oppose the anti-India agenda", and said Indian nationals, particularly students, should avoid travelling to areas in Canada that have seen such incidents. The advisory asked Indian students studying in Canada to remain vigilant and exercise "extreme caution".
The row started after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the country's parliament Monday that they had found "links" of "Indian agents" in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June this year. Soon after, Ottawa expelled a senior Indian diplomat posted in Canada. India rejected the charges as "absurd and motivated", and retaliated by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat, giving the official five days to leave India.
The ties between India and Canada have been under strain for the past some time over what is seen as increasing pro-Khalistani activities in that country.
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India is learnt to have activated all its intelligence and diplomatic channels in the US, Australia and the UK to identify the network run by outfits like ‘Sikhs for Justice’ (SFJ), who are known Khalistan sympathisers, top intel sources told ABP Live.
Meanwhile, PTI reported, quoting Col. Todd Braithwaite, the Defence Attache at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, that Canada's Deputy Army Chief Major General Peter Scott would be visiting India next week to attend a military conference. "We will continue our military cooperation. It (the diplomatic row) is not going to impact (the defence relations). Our Deputy Army Chief will visit India to participate in the conference, he said when asked whether the escalating diplomatic row would impact the bilateral military ties," he was quoted as saying.
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